Funny The Way It Is...: So close...so scared...

I graduate in 4 weeks. I'm not ready for this! Part of me is so done with the academy, and the other part of me feels like I haven't learned a thing and I still need another year in the academy. It's just such mixed emotions going on! Despite the fears that seem to be pulsing through my veins, I am very, very excited to get out on the streets are start being a cop! It's (almost) a dream come true!

Exciting events have transpired since my last post. I qualified in shooting, which basically means I can hit the target. Firearms ended up being pretty darn fun! And cold. We spent a lot of time at Camp Williams...in the snow...shooting guns...ya, not on my list of favorite things, but it's not the worst thing I've done. It was fun seeing myself and the other cadets progress and become good shooters! We had a good time. Everyone wanted to borrow my big, pink ear covers. Or my owl mittens that are actually the best mittens ever because they are big enough to put hand warmers in. Do you know how hard it is to load a magazine with freezing fingers? Near darn impossible. One of the instructors said my mittens were almost as cute as my ear covers. I have to kind of feel like a girl while I carry a gun, wear pants that do nothing for my backside, and march around in black combat looking boots.

I also can officially chase someone in a high speed pursuit. Not that I would ever want to after all the videos they showed us of officers killing people while going through a traffic light at 100 MPH, but I could do it! I really enjoyed the driving at the academy. It was really fun to drive fast and be running lights and sirens and talking on the radio and just having a good time! Despite the fact that I really struggled with backing up through the cones, I enjoyed myself. And we didn't have to start till 10 AM on driving days. I got to sleep in till 8. It's a miracle. Truly a miracle.

I have discovered my calling in life. Accident investigation. Ya, of all the different areas of police work I could desire to work in, I choose one of like two areas in police work that requires math.

Katie + math = kasdjf;anei;touairu092384

Ya...it's about like that.

But I love accident investigation! I loved that someone can go to a crash, look at the vehicles, draw a picture, take down some measurements, look at some tire skids, do some math, and BAM! Here's how fast they were going when they hit, what directions they came from...blah blah blah. I love it. SO MUCH. Again, just following in my dad's footsteps. He was an accident investigator for a long time. It must be hereditary.

With every positive comes a negative. I never want to be on SWAT. I do not enjoy hunting bad guys. Especially hunting bad guys in dark rooms that are waiting to shoot you with rubber bullets. They can see you but you can't see them! And it's awful. And scary. I went full on "code black." AKA - I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE **** TO DO SOME I'M JUST GOING TO HIDE BEHIND MY PARTNER AND DRAG US BOTH OUT OF HERE!!!!!! Scary stuff going down.

So life is good! Phil's cute as ever. I love him a lot. We have fun together. I can still throw him down like a boss. And ya, that's the update for now! Until next time...

KTD